95+ tasting 2002

This year I didn't receive any particular hints about any desired alignment, so I only passively did listen to the different wine proposals. Almost everybody did in fact suggested a red dry bottles, so this make the topic. Two flights are arranged with the partitioning principles:

• As a general rule, the softer wines are directed into the first flight and the sturdier into the second.
• If one country or region are represented by both soft and sturdy wines, those wines are not distributed into both flights, but kept together in one of the flights.
• However, the well known, and on this tasting well represented Bordeaux wines are divided into both flights, in order to facilitate bridging quality level judgements between the flights.
• Very early it is obvious that the old world is well represented and in position to revenge the new world successes on previous 95+ tastings. So, the partitioning in two flights should not prevent the comparison between the worlds.

A new procedure is instituted on this tasting. The "best in show" wine is selected and the person bringing that wine do not have to take a bottle next time.

The opening red flight

95 points - 1997 Nicolas Catena Zapata, Cabernet Sauvignon, Argenetina

The colour is dark, ruby red. A soft and spicy smell, round and well behaving, low-voiced but not shy, jammy, fruity and a little bitter. Somewhat harsh in the taste, too much for its own good, a good dry after taste. The meeting is very positive, around 96 - 97 points, but I am slightly more reserved with 95 points. Maybe I am biased by knowing the points in advance.

95 points - 1993 Barolo Bric del Fïasc, Scavino, Piedmont, Italy

The colour is rather dark and brick red. The smell is a little medical, but also sweet violet and cherries. The taste have a good fruit attack in the mouth, but harshness takes over too much, but soft acidity and complex after taste. This wine do not appeal to the tasters, nearly everybody put 90 to 95 points. I say 95 points like Parker, and the contributor is (of course) most positive with 97 points.

94-98 points - 1982 Ch Margaux, Bordeaux, France

The colour is dark and brick red. The first smell reminds me of wet paper and mature fruit, very round and soft, on the limit to be flat. The taste is on the same way, silky and venerable, on its apogee, low in acidity and tannin with just enough fruit. The panel is not too enthusiastic and put 93 to 96, myself giving it 95 points. This wine has not stood the time and as Parker has experienced, has shown more and more bottle variation, typically showing between nearly perfect down to 94 points.

93-96+ points - 1995 Musigny Vieilles Vignes, Comte de Vougüé, Burgundy, France

The colour is medium dark, with ruby to brick red hue. Fine smell of Pinot Noir, with strawberry red fruit and delicious oak in the background, a bit of mint caramel and crayfish dill liquid. The taste is a bit marked by soft acidity, but have lush fruit to cover. Long good after taste. As with all Burgundy on previous 95+ tastings, this type of wine seem to have big problems to compete, the panel is around 93 points.

97-99+ points - 2000 Le Clos du Caillou Reserve, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France

The colour is very dark and ruby red. Lovely, jammy smell, very solid and elegant but somewhat young and suppressed. Good attack with powerful fruit, round powerful tannins with a long after taste. A real boxing-glove. The tasters almost agree with Parker's high judgement, with myself giving most points.

95 points - 1997 Ai Suma, Braida, Piedmont, Italy

The colour is dark and ruby red. A bit of acetone do not disturb the fresh fruit and coffee smelling oak. Still a little restrained. The taste have superb balance on a high level, a clever acidity, good fruit with soft vanilla. Most tasters, me included, are more positive than Parker and put between 95 and 97 points.

96 points - 1992 Insignia, Joseph Phelps, Napa Valley, California, USA

The colour is dark ruby with a brick rim. Wonderful smell of stable, seductive, soft and comfy, a hint of acetone makes no problem. The smell in the same way, soft and wide, low acidity and lovely matured fruit. Long, superb after taste. The meeting celebrate the wine a lot with 97 - 98 points, I am also very impressed but with a slightly lower 96 point.
By the way, I have for a long time claimed that a quality red wine always must be low in acidity, but has quite often been reprimanded for that by the "Swedish school" of wine criticism promoting palpable acidity levels in red wines. Crazy enough, I have taken in to much of that, and now judge below the majority for this lovely matured wine from a low acidity vintage.

96 points - 1990 Ch Haut Brion, Graves, Bordeaux, France

The colour is rather dark and brick red. The smell stinks of stable, smoke and peat. It is soft, lush and elegant. The taste have pronounced back bones and a dry finish, somewhat contradictory to the smell. While the smell is rather similar to the Insignia above, the taste is much more old world for the Haut Brion. This wine is selected "best in opening flight" at the voting before anything was revealed, and is further selected as "best in show" at the vote after selection of "best in closing flight". One may ask if this appointment depends on sincere love to Bordeaux or the chance to rehabilitate the poor old world.

96 points - 1999 Villa Fidelia, Sportoletti, Umbria, Italy

Very dark, ruby colour. Jammy fruit, powerful and attacking, spiciness implying some disorderly character. Full bodied taste in a modern style, with obviously high tannin level. Will the fruit keep to cover this ? A long after taste. The tasting panel is very impressed and gives 96 to 98 points, which is slightly more than Parker.

The closing red flight

95 points - 1998 Numanthia, Toro, Spain

Dark, ruby red colour. Fat and creamy in the smell, raisins, sweet berries, coffee and coconut. Powerful taste, plenty of fruit, real attacking and long in the finish, a smashing wine. Everybody, but on taster, did put 95 to 96 on this rare wine.

97 points - 1995 Old Vine Grenache, Blewitt Springs, Clarendon Hills, Barossa Valley, Australia

Dark, ruby red colour. Flowery and wet, a very special smell, reminding of gingerbread biscuit and campari. A dry taste with some acidity doesn't sound too positive, but implies a bit charm and personality. Indeed this wine is controversial, with points distributed from 88 to 96 points. My fear is that the wine will hardly see reason with extended bottle ageing.

96 points - 1986 Ch Margaux, Bordeaux, France

Dark, brick red colour. A little controversial "bit of shit" in the smell which fades away, then rather much Bordeaux and cabernet nose. Very dry, almost harsh in the taste and will never become a balanced wine. Nobody is too impressed, with points between 92 and 94.

98 pints - 1987 Montelena Estate, Napa Valley, California, USA

Very dark, ruby to brick red colour. Shy, cold smell, very pure and nicely, with some stable. Balanced on the dry side, good grip, very clean and pure also in the taste, French firm and classic style. The question is - when is it at its best, has it already happen or is it 10 years away ? All agreed it is a good wine but not on 98 point level, but rather on 94 to 96 points.

95 points - 1991 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, Beringer, Napa Valley, California, USA

Very dark, brick red colour. Rich, warm, pure cabernet, well made and public, elegance and sweet, the opposite to the above. Fine balance between well integrated fruit and tannin, stylish at the same time as robust. A very good wine deserving 95 to 97 points, with an isolated exception of 93 points.

94-96 points - 1999 Zinfandel, Moore Earthquake, Turley Cellars, Napa Valley, California, USA

Dark, ruby red colour. Hot, fiery, fruity, rich smell, with abundant crisp and lush oak. A lot of fruit also in the taste, sweet and fleshy feeling from overripe grapes. This is a really inviting wine, bringing out points between 97 and 99 points. For me one of the favourites.

100 points - 1999 Côte Rôtie, Côte Blonde, Rostaing, Rhone, France

Dark, ruby red colour. Once again a controversial "bit of shit" smell, somewhat decayed and rotten, with a touch of smoke. Fat and rich in the taste, lovely bitter, young fruit with an sturdy, long after taste. This wine give a real discussion, is it good or bad, typical or atypical etc. Many tasters between 95 and 96, but some as low as 90 and some (me included) as high as 98.

96 points - 1995 Astralis, Shiraz, Clarendon Hills, Barossa Valley, Australia

Dark, brick red colour. Typical eucalyptus smell, nice and complex balanced, with oranges and spices. Straggling rather than integrating taste, not quite up to the standard of the smell, high acidity somewhat disturbing. The character has been of the similar kind since the wine hit the market. Points spread around between 93 and 98 depending on tasters acidity tolerance.

95-98 points - 2000 Péby Faguères, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France

Extremely dark, ruby red colour. Maximum fruity, explosively rich syrup smell, rich like port and oak like an XO cognac. Well composed, fluffy and concentrated like dry port with the fruit in front. Very appreciated and points between 96 and 99, with myself at the high end.

Bonus wine - 1998 Sagrantino di Montefalco, 25 Anni, Arnaldo Caprai, Italy

Dark, ruby red colour. Smell of elegant and attractive oak in large quantity. Very fruity but a substantial overdose of tannin in the taste, stick like glue in the mouth. Will this wine ever come around in the cellar. High points as well as risk, between 93 - 96 points.

Conclusions from this tasting

The quality level is very high at this tasting and is very appreciated. Despite that most of the wines are closer to the 95 entry level than to the top 100, the general impression from the tasting is quite the opposite.

The similarity between the tasters and Parker is in general very consistent, although we often seem to be 1 or 2 points higher. Like usual, the Burgundry has some difficulties to perform like Parker suggest.

The biggest difference to Parker is maybe the fact that Bordeaux is both looser and winner at the same time, although Parker had given approximately equal points. This confirms the feeling I have had for long time, that Bordeaux from poor and medium vintages are overpriced and unbalanced and that one must select only atypical warm vintages and select from rich winemaking chateaux, if to get balanced wines comparable to top wines from Napa Valley and Australia.